Places of Worship: Altar v Shrine v Temple
Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2022 2:31 pm
There are three primary places of personal worship: an alter, a shrine, and a temple.
An Altar to Apollo
An altar is a personalized worship location used for active worship, where you make sacrifices, meditate, and do most of your active correspondence with your deity (or spirit). It's very common to have an altar at home for your Divine Patron, your pack totem, your spirit pact, or any other spirit or deity you regularly attempt to commune with. Altars within shrines and temples are crafted for public usage, and not as personalized as an altar built within your home for private use.. You may build an altar outside of a temple. A shrine at which votive offerings are made is called an altar; altars are built as part of shrines.
Building an altar is a minor personalizing of a shrine, or creation of a small worship area for your personal usage, and as such does not require a Downtime Action.
A Shrine to Adonis
A shrine is a dedicated tribute built to honor a deity, generally in public, where people may venture to pay respects to the deity. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated. Shrines empower gods (and spirits) by honoring them and presenting them for consideration of all who pass. This is usually some manner of statue or dedicated and decorated space made to represent and honor the god or spirit. Shrines are common to see about town and in public, and there is usually a dedicated shrine garden on caerns. To build a shrine within a temple, you need permission from a priest. To build a shrine within a garou shrine garden, you need permission from the Keeper of the Land. You may build a shrine outside of a temple or shrine garden. In building shrines, it's most common to include altars. Garou shrines are formally dedicated with the caern rite Rite of Adoration; otherwise the spirits don't know to look for it.
Building a shrine is a structural project and will require a Downtime Action; an altar will be included.
A Temple to Poseidon
A temple (or temenos) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. As there can be as many temples and gods, the form and function of temples is thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be in some sense the "house" of one or more deities. A temple's sacredness, often connected with a holy grove, is often more important than the building itself, as it contains the open air altar on which the sacrifices are made. The internal structure of a temple, called a naos, is often where the cult statue of the key deity is located, as well as a shrine to that key deity and perhaps others as is appropriate.
Typically a special group of priests maintain, and operate the temple. The degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly; often parts or even the whole main building can only be accessed by the priest. Temples typically have a main building and a larger precinct, which may contain many other buildings. "Going to the temple" usually means to interact with other worshippers in the area surrounding the temple itself; the temple inside is generally reserved for Priests or matters of immediate worship or prayer.
Building a temple is a massive structural project and will require multiple Downtime Actions. A shrine and altar will be included upon completion.
An Altar to Apollo
An altar is a personalized worship location used for active worship, where you make sacrifices, meditate, and do most of your active correspondence with your deity (or spirit). It's very common to have an altar at home for your Divine Patron, your pack totem, your spirit pact, or any other spirit or deity you regularly attempt to commune with. Altars within shrines and temples are crafted for public usage, and not as personalized as an altar built within your home for private use.. You may build an altar outside of a temple. A shrine at which votive offerings are made is called an altar; altars are built as part of shrines.
Building an altar is a minor personalizing of a shrine, or creation of a small worship area for your personal usage, and as such does not require a Downtime Action.
A Shrine to Adonis
A shrine is a dedicated tribute built to honor a deity, generally in public, where people may venture to pay respects to the deity. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated. Shrines empower gods (and spirits) by honoring them and presenting them for consideration of all who pass. This is usually some manner of statue or dedicated and decorated space made to represent and honor the god or spirit. Shrines are common to see about town and in public, and there is usually a dedicated shrine garden on caerns. To build a shrine within a temple, you need permission from a priest. To build a shrine within a garou shrine garden, you need permission from the Keeper of the Land. You may build a shrine outside of a temple or shrine garden. In building shrines, it's most common to include altars. Garou shrines are formally dedicated with the caern rite Rite of Adoration; otherwise the spirits don't know to look for it.
Building a shrine is a structural project and will require a Downtime Action; an altar will be included.
A Temple to Poseidon
A temple (or temenos) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. As there can be as many temples and gods, the form and function of temples is thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be in some sense the "house" of one or more deities. A temple's sacredness, often connected with a holy grove, is often more important than the building itself, as it contains the open air altar on which the sacrifices are made. The internal structure of a temple, called a naos, is often where the cult statue of the key deity is located, as well as a shrine to that key deity and perhaps others as is appropriate.
Typically a special group of priests maintain, and operate the temple. The degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly; often parts or even the whole main building can only be accessed by the priest. Temples typically have a main building and a larger precinct, which may contain many other buildings. "Going to the temple" usually means to interact with other worshippers in the area surrounding the temple itself; the temple inside is generally reserved for Priests or matters of immediate worship or prayer.
Building a temple is a massive structural project and will require multiple Downtime Actions. A shrine and altar will be included upon completion.